The Nigeria Police Force, Akwa Ibom State Command, has released the leaders of the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) and Obidient movements in the state after more than 24 hours in detention following a disputed Independence Day march in Uyo.
OK and Obidient movements are political groups working toward the actualisation of the presidential aspiration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Elijah Noah, coordinator of the OK Movement, and Ben Smith, state coordinator of the Obidient Movement, were among nine people the police arrested during the controversy surrounding the planned 1 October political procession.
Mr Noah told PREMIUM TIMES by telephone on Saturday that all nine detainees left the police station at about 6 p.m. on Friday.
The arrests followed a directive by the police command ordering political parties and groups to reschedule previously approved rallies, meetings and processions scheduled for 1 October, citing security concerns.
The command said the directive was based on intelligence suggesting that political gatherings could be exploited to cause disturbances and threaten public peace. It maintained that the directive applied generally and was not targeted at any political group.
But the organisers disputed the police’s account of the events, particularly the circumstances surrounding Mr Noah’s arrest and the dispersal of supporters.
How the dispute unfolded
Mr Noah, speaking on XL FM after his release, said he had earlier met the Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, who expressed concern about the command’s ability to provide adequate security for the proposed march.
He said he explained that the procession was intended to be peaceful and that 1 October was deliberately chosen because of Nigeria’s Independence Day.
He said the organisers subsequently agreed to reschedule the march after discussions with the police.
Mr Noah, however, said he later learnt that some supporters had gathered at the proposed take-off point despite the postponement.
He said many who gathered for the march had only heard about the planned march and were not on the same platform where information was posted about the reschedule, hence they still came out for the procession.
Mr Noah said that on discovering that many were already at the take-off point, he went to the area to communicate the new date to the supporters.
“I know we all believe in our principal. Let’s work with a scheduled date,” he remembered telling those who gathered.
He alleged that police officers arrived shortly afterwards and fired tear gas after seeing him addressing the crowd in an OK Movement shirt.
The allegation could not be independently verified.
In its account of the incident, however, the police said eight people were arrested for allegedly engaging in acts capable of causing a breach of public peace and disregarding lawful security directives.
The command also denied that officers fired guns and tear gas during the operation. PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that witnesses alleged that tear gas was used to disperse supporters, while the police denied the use of firearms.
‘People were running for their lives’
Frank Okon, the media director of the proposed march, questioned the scale of the police deployment at the scene.
“Have you ever seen, if at all there was a protest, the police outnumber those who came to protest?” Mr Okon asked.
He said he was present when the incident occurred and disputed the police’s denial that tear gas was fired.
According to him, people fled the area after the police intervention.
“This is not good for democracy because the window for campaign had opened,” he said.
PREMIUM TIMES also visited the area where the incident occurred. Witnesses told the newspaper that police officers fired tear gas, forcing people to flee.
Smith’s arrest
Mr Smith was reportedly arrested after going with other supporters to seek the release of Mr Noah and other detainees.
His arrest widened the dispute, with the Obidient Movement demanding the immediate release of both coordinators and other detained members.
The movement accused the police of intimidating its members and restricting political expression, while the police maintained that its actions were prompted by security considerations and non-compliance with its directive.
The police had earlier said organisers of the march attended a meeting with the police and were advised to choose another date because of concerns over possible clashes and public safety.
‘We have never faced this before’
Samuel Duff, secretary of the OK Movement in Akwa Ibom and one of those arrested, connected the incident to the political environment in the state.
READ ALSO: Obidient Movement gets new National Coordinator; Yunusa Tanko reassigned
Mr Duff said the police commissioner denied that the police’s action was political. He argued that the state’s political alignments, where the PDP and the APC are working together, had raised questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He expressed concern about how similar incidents could affect political activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
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The police have consistently rejected the suggestion that the arrests were politically motivated, insisting that their intervention was driven by security concerns.
The command’s position is that the planned march presented a potential public-order challenge, particularly because other political activities had also been scheduled for the same period and in some of the same locations.
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The release of the nine detainees on Friday has eased the immediate confrontation, but the dispute has left unresolved questions about the extent of police powers to regulate political gatherings and the obligations of security agencies when dealing with peaceful political assemblies.
The episode also comes as political mobilisation is building up across Akwa Ibom ahead of the 2027 elections.
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